An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Schöffe
Schöffe, m., ‘assessor, sheriff, juryman,’ from MidHG. schęffe, schępfe, schęffen, m., ‘presiding judge, assessor,’ OHG. scęffin, scaffin, and scęffino, with the same sense; comp. OLG. scępino, ‘assessor,’ Du. schepen, ‘sheriff.’ The term is not found before the time of Charlemagne, who first created the office of assessor; yet the origin and form of the word points to an earlier period, although Goth. *skapja or *skapeins and the corresponding words in OIc. and AS. are wanting. Teut. skapjan (see schaffen) also signified ‘to arrange, decree, decide,’ hence Schöffe, lit. ‘ordainer’?. From Teut. the office and the term applied to it passed into Rom. as MidLat. scabînus; comp. Ital. scabino, Fr. échevin.